The Role of Grandparents in the Social Support System of Mothers of Children with a Physical Disability

Abstract

The structural and functional dimensions of perceived social support were examined, with particular emphasis on the importance of grandparents as support providers to the mothers of children with special needs. Forty-seven mothers of children with cerebral palsy and 43 mothers of children without such a disability (comparison group) were interviewed in their homes using the social support network list (Kazak & Wilcox, 1984), a special version of a support functions scale (Dunst, Trivette, & Deal, 1988), and satisfaction with social support (Vaux & Harrison, 1985). The results indicate that differences between the two groups were found only in the structural dimension of network size. However, no differences in the analysis of the functional dimension and satisfaction from support were revealed. In both research groups, grandparents were highly ranked in comparison with other support providers, and a clear hierarchy was revealed; maternal grandmothers were perceived to be the most important figures providing more emotional than instrumental support and received the highest score in terms of satisfaction from support. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.